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St Peter
and St Paul, Halvergate

It
is extraordinary to remind yourself that the
marshes stretching eastward of Halvergate were
once under water in the mouth of a great river
estuary. But it is easy to imagine St Peter and
St Paul as a coastal church, its great tower a
beacon for shipping. In this landscape of mostly
small churches, many of them Norman in character,
this is a big, late medieval church. And yet,
there is a homeliness to it: no aisles, no
clerestory, just a long, wide nave and chancel.

Halvergate
is a fairly big village for this part of the
world, and the parish maintains a busy life. The
nave is partitioned by curtains about a third of
the way back to create a more intimate space;
which must be a great disincentive to people to
sit at the back.

There was
a rather idiosyncratic 19th century restoration here,
including the placing on the pinnacles of the tower of
four statues of unidentified figures, perhaps a century
older, probably originally intended for the interior of a
great house. They were taken down as unsafe a few years
back, and one still leans against the entrance to the
south porch.

As with a
number of churches around here, there is a banner stave
recess set into the nave wall, and the 19th century glass
is interesting, depicting the Presentation in the Temple
and Christ with Mary and Martha at Bethany. Although it
was good to hear that the parish are planning to open the
church to passing pilgrims and strangers after years of
keeping it locked, I fear that the Restoration has left
an interior with little of historic interest, except for
one major survival. Visitors will be able to see the
great treasure of the church, a 14th century image in
glass of St Christopher carrying the Christ child across
a river. This was in the upper light of a north nave
window until the 1980s, when it was taken down and
restored. It was then put in a wooden frame behind glass,
above the high altar, as if it was a relic. It is almost
impossible to photograph. The lady on duty on Bike Ride
day said that there was some concern for its safety if
the church was kept open - although, of course, if it was
put back in its proper place, the problem would be
solved.